I6i INDIRECT INJtRlES CAUSED BY INSECTS. 



sions and singular form^. Pigeons, in addition, often 

 swarm with the bed-bug, which makes it advisable 

 never to have their lockers fixed to a dwellins^-house. 

 In their young", if your curiosity urges you to examine 

 them, you may find the larva of the flea, which in its 

 perfect state often swarms in poultry. 



Amongst our most valuable domestic animals I shall 

 be very unjust and ungrateful, if I do not enumerate 

 those industrious little creatures the bees, from whose 

 incessant labours and heaven-taught art we derive the 

 two precious productions of honey and wax. They 

 also are infested by numerous insect-enemies, some of 

 which attack the bees themselves, while others despoil 

 them of their treasures. — They have parasites of a pe- 

 culiar genus, although at present regarded as belong- 

 ing to Pediculus'', and mites (Acarus gi/mnopteroriim, 

 Ij.) are frequently injurious to them. That universal 

 plunderer the wasp, and his formidable congener the 

 hornet, often seize and devour them, sometimes ripping 

 open their body to come at the honey, and at others 

 carrying off that part in which it is situated. The former 



* Plate V. Fig. 3. 



'' Melitlophagus,Mus. Kirby. See Man. Ap. Angl. ii. 168. I cojiy th^ 

 following memorantlum respecting M. Mclittec from my common'place- 

 book, May 7, 1812. On the flowers of Ficarla, Taraxacum and Belli?, I 

 found agreat number of this insect, which seemed extremely restless, run- 

 ning here and there over the flowers, and over each other, with great swift- 

 ness, mounting the anthers, and sometimes lifting themselves up above 

 them, as if looking for something. One or two of them leaped upon my 

 hand. Near one of these flowers I found a small Melitta,upon which some 

 of these creatures were busy sucking the poor animal, so that it seemed 

 unable to fly away. Wlien disclosed from the egg, I imagine they get on 

 the top of these flowers to attach themselves to any Melitta that may alight 

 on them, or come sufliciently near for them to leap on it. K. 



